Flexible home page layout for mobile devices

• US 8,351,995 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2012
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Dobroth, Kathryn Mary, Moon, Hannah Youngsil
• Primary Examiner(s): Yun, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US13/489,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20120244913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 217 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/556.2, 455/556.1, 455/550.1, 455/90.1, 455/90.2, 455/90.3, 379/93.19
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

The flexible user interface layout includes a split-screen display that provides flexibility in determining which information will be displayed on the screen, such as a home page. The screen may be divided into display panes in which a user may drag a center point or node of intersection to increase the size of a selected display pane, while reducing the size of at least some of the other display panes. Each display pane may contain a different page selected by the user, or displayed by default. The pages may also be customizable such that the user can create pages and select which content to display on a particular page.

Claims

1. A method comprising steps of:

displaying an active viewing space on a touch panel display of a mobile terminal, the active viewing space being divided into at least three display panes and exhibiting a point of intersection of boundaries of the display panes;

detecting touching of the touch panel display in such a manner as to indicate user intent to move the point of intersection on the touch panel display;

responsive to an amount of intended movement of the point of intersection indicated by the detected touching, moving the point of intersection on the touch panel display by the intended movement amount;

reducing a size of at least a first of the display panes and an amount of a respective page displayed in each reduced size display pane in the active viewing space, based on the intended movement amount of the point of intersection on the touch panel display; and

concurrent with reducing the size of at least the first display pane, increasing a size of at least a second of the display panes and an amount of a respective page displayed in each increased size display pane in the active viewing space, based on the intended movement amount of the point of intersection on the touch panel display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein responsive to a user selecting content information for display with a page, displaying the selected content information with the page in at least one of the display panes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein responsive to a user selecting a page for display in the active viewing space, displaying the selected page in at least one of the display panes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining content information for display with a page via at least one of a wireless communication via a mobile network or memory of the mobile terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining a page for at least one of the display panes of the active viewing space via at least one of a wireless communication via a mobile network or memory of the mobile terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each display pane contains a page selected by the user or displayed by default.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the display panes are formed by a horizontal boundary and a vertical boundary.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each display pane includes an active portion displayed within the active viewing space and an inactive portion not displayed within the active viewing space.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the intersection point is movable in all directions within the active viewing space, and

movement of the intersection point increases or decreases the active portion of at least one of the display panes.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing a scrolling function to view content information not displayed in the active viewing space, but residing on the inactive portions of the display panes.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising automatically fitting the amount of content information to the size of the active portion and automatically adjusting the page to fit within the active portion, for each respective display pane.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the intersection point is represented by a character.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing multiple intersection points to add multiple degrees of movement to the display panes.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing movable boundaries to add multiple degrees of movement to the display panes.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying more frequently utilized pages in the display panes while less utilized pages are not displayed.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising positioning more utilized pages in panes displayed at more prominent positions on the touch panel display.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising permitting content information to be associated with and appear on more than one page.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a fixed viewing space, for content information, which is not affected by movement of the intersection point.

19. A mobile device, comprising:

a touch panel display;

a wireless transceiver, for wireless communication via a mobile network; and

a controller for controlling the transceiver and responsive to user inputs via the touch panel display, wherein the controller is configured to implement tasks, including tasks to;

display an active viewing space on the touch panel display, the active viewing space being divided into at least three display panes and exhibiting a point of intersection of boundaries of the display panes;

detect touching of the touch panel display in such a manner as to indicate user intent to move the point of intersection on the touch panel display;

responsive to an amount of intended movement of the point of intersection indicated by the detected touching, move the point of intersection on the touch panel display by the intended movement amount;

reduce a size of at least a first of the display panes and an amount of a respective page displayed in each reduced size display pane in the active viewing space, based on the intended movement amount of the point of intersection on the touch panel display; and

concurrent with reducing the size of at least the first display pane, increase a size of at least a second of the display panes and an amount of a respective page displayed in each increased size display pane in the active viewing space, based on the intended movement amount of the point of intersection on the touch panel display.

20. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured such that:

each display pane includes an active portion displayed within the active viewing space and an inactive portion not displayed within the active viewing space,

the intersection point is movable in all directions within the active viewing space, and

movement of the intersection point increases or decreases the active portion of at least one of the display panes.

21. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured such that:

each display pane includes an active portion displayed within the active viewing space and an inactive portion not displayed within the active viewing space, and

the tasks further include as task to provide a scrolling function to view content information not displayed in the active viewing space, but residing on the inactive portions of the display panes.

22. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured such that the tasks further include as task to provide a fixed viewing space, for content information, which is not affected by movement of the intersection point.

23. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory machine readable storage medium; and

programming instructions embodied in the medium for execution by a programmable controller of a mobile terminal having a touch panel display and a wireless transceiver, wherein execution of the programming instructions by the programmable controller causes the mobile terminal to implement tasks, comprising tasks to;

display an active viewing space on the touch panel display, the active viewing space being divided into at least three display panes and exhibiting a point of intersection of boundaries of the display panes;

detect touching of the touch panel display in such a manner as to indicate user intent to move the point of intersection on the touch panel display;

responsive to an amount of intended movement of the point of intersection indicated by the detected touching, move the point of intersection on the touch panel display by the intended movement amount;

reduce a size of at least a first of the display panes and an amount of a respective page displayed in each reduced size display pane in the active viewing space, based on the intended movement amount of the point of intersection on the touch panel display; and

concurrent with reducing the size of at least the first display pane, increase a size of at least a second of the display panes and an amount of a respective page displayed in each increased size display pane in the active viewing space, based on the intended movement amount of the point of intersection on the touch panel display.

24. The article of claim 23, wherein:

each display pane includes an active portion displayed within the active viewing space and an inactive portion not displayed within the active viewing space,

the intersection point is movable in all directions within the active viewing space, and

movement of the intersection point increases or decreases the active portion of at least one of the display panes.

25. The article of claim 23, wherein:

each display pane includes an active portion displayed within the active viewing space and an inactive portion not displayed within the active viewing space, and

the tasks further comprise a task to provide a scrolling function to view content information not displayed in the active viewing space, but residing on the inactive portions of the display panes.

26. The article of claim 23, wherein the tasks further comprise a task to a fixed viewing space, for content information, which is not affected by movement of the intersection point.